Adaryn T'Karra
'''Adaryn T'Karra '''is an asari mercenary and former commando. Biography Adaryn “Astra” T’Karra was born in the ancient port city-state of Dassus on Thessia. She spent her entire life in the shadow of her sister, Lanari. Only a few years younger, yet Astra felt it was clear throughout her childhood which of the two of them her mother favored. She felt that Lanari was consistently praised for every accomplishment while she was berated for every imperfection. Lanari, however, would argue the opposite and often did. This caused a pronounced rift between the sisters and their mother beginning in childhood, and strained the bond between the sisters for an ongoing basis. Like many asari, growing up, neither of the sisters knew anything of their father other than a name. As a child, she was physically rambunctious, but not terribly talkative and preferred action to a long, thought-out process. She enjoyed roughhousing and often found herself on top of things she’d climbed up without thought on how to get down. Her peers in school were off-put by the quiet but energetic and gangly asari who, on more than one occasion, contributed to the accidental injury of one of the other children. This ran antithetical to how Astra’s mother felt proper children should behave, and, subsequently, the opposite of how her sister behaved. It did not take long for their mother to force Astra to box away her independent streak and conform to her ideals. Their mother, Dr. Telanari T’Karra, was one of the most respected authorities on psychology in the Asari Republics. Even now, well into her matriarchy, Telanari still teaches advanced courses in it at the University of Dassus on Thessia. That her mother knew exactly what she was doing to her children wasn’t something Astra realized until she began studies in psychology herself. Though she could never get Telanari to admit it to her, Astra accused her mother of using her and her sister as test subjects in a lifelong experiment to see which child would reach the greatest height of achievement when given different incentives for success. At first, the discovery that her mother could be so cold-hearted as to use them as little more than lab rats infuriated her, but as the years wore on, Astra’s anger cooled even if it never disappeared entirely. Ultimately, her mother had been successful in creating two highly motivated over-achievers. They constantly competed for everything from their mother’s affections to the highest marks in their studies, and it made them both formidable in their own rights. Initially intending to follow in her mother’s footsteps as Telanari had desired and make psychology her career, Astra, at the age of 73, switched tracks midway through her first Ph.D. It was then that she accused her mother of using her sister and herself to further her own career, and the accusation and its subsequent denial were the final straw in breaking their relationship. At that point, Astra chose to pursue her own path while her sister stayed the course and continued to follow the path their mother had planned for them. Deciding it was time to find her father, Astra sought out the turian her mother had named as her gene-donor. An aging mercenary at this point in life, Szikla Vellyk was surprised to find a large, young asari standing at the door of her apartment in Nos Astra. The turian was even more surprised to discover the woman was her daughter, as she barely remembered the encounter those decades before with Astra’s mother. Astra spent the next couple of years getting to know her "father" and learning a different way of life. The woman taught her basic combat skills, and began to help the tall asari bulk up properly and grow strong. It was also Szikla that gave the asari the nickname “Astra.” Wanting to completely eschew her old life, it seemed a fitting way to do it. In honor of her father’s traditional turian facial markings, Astra began to wear similar red markings on her face. Other crewmates over the years also left their mark on the impressionable youth, none more so than Draff, a colorful batarian mercenary that had spent almost a much time in prisons as he had as a free man. After the first mission she was allowed to participate in, and having become fascinated by Draff’s tattoos, she finally let him give her one. He had stories and reasons for each of his, and they reminded her of the way her father could attach a story to each of her scars. The tattoo she chose was the same symbol as was on the pendant her father wore around her neck. Szikla taught young Astra everything she knew about combat, teamwork, discipline, and honor. Astra, for her part, was a better merc apprentice than she ever was an academic. Her former studies did come in handy for honing her skills in explosives, and in the frequently necessary armor and arms repairs. Though, there was more than one mission that saw some of her gear barely held together. Being a more legally operating merc crew might have brought a certain type of respect, but it often paid poorly. In fact, it was this growing complaint, after years of being nagged by her daughter to take more lucrative missions, which led Szikla to finally take one of the higher paying and shadier contracts. The crew was to accompany a shipment of element zero from a mining facility in the Hades Gamma Cluster to a refinery in the Nubian Expanse. While Szikla generally shied away from eezo smuggling, the price for the contract was seemingly too good to pass up. Szikla’s health, unbeknownst to her daughter, had begun to decline. She had been past her prime for some time now and knew that old age and merc life had more than caught up to her. She saw this as an opportunity to retire comfortably. Just before they were to set out for the mission, however, Szikla fell too ill to go. Astra begged her to let the crew take the job without her, and Szikla, finally, agreed. Her daughter was young, yet was a decent fighter and had a good eye for things. Astra was almost of age, and it would soon be time to let the girl fly from under her wing. This seemed as good a time as any to let her try. So Szikla’s second-in-command led Astra and the crew while Szikla monitored their reports from Illium. By the time the crew discovered the eezo wasn’t eezo it was too late. It was a shipment of weapons originally stolen from an asari supply convoy bound for Thessia, and the refinery was actually an outpost for a group of pirates made up of raiders and Blood Pack drop-outs. They were out-manned, and Szikla was too far away to be of any help. Astra came close to having her first contract without Szikla be her last contract, as she was no match for the swarms of vorcha that had her backed into a corner. One of them almost ripped her jaw off in the fight, leaving deep gashes down her cheek. Another’s omni-blade found its way to her head and almost embedded itself in her neck, barely failing to connect to its target and instead slicing into the lower crest as she turned her head. His second attack might have succeeded where the first failed had they not knocked over one of the crates of stolen asari weapons and an asari blade come clattering out. Hand finding the sword in a moment of adrenaline-fueled panic as she scrambled to her feet and as he leveled his pistol at her, she sent the offending vorcha’s clawed hand flying, still gripped around the pistol. Bloody and nearly beaten, Astra charged into the swarm prepared to go down swinging. It was only by sheer luck of timing that she and the rest of the crew didn’t wind up dead. A team of asari commandos sent to recover the shipment managed to arrive in time to dispatch the remaining raiders. Astra was allowed to keep the blade. More specifically, she intentionally neglected to return it, or mention she had it in the first place. If she was going to be sporting a rather dramatic scar from the ordeal, she felt the sword was earned. As was the pistol of the vorcha who tore into her face. Her statement while prying his severed hand from it was something to the effect that he didn't need it anymore. Though it is an inevitability that an asari will outlive her partner if she bonds with most other species, save perhaps the krogan, and that most asari daughters of such unions will see the passing of their fathers early in life, it did little to soften the blow Astra when it became clear that Szikla’s time was up. The major comfort in the event was that both of them had the chance to say goodbye. When their time together began to draw to an end, Szikla called Astra to her and had a long conversation about what Astra should do with the rest of her life. Not even 100 years old, Astra was still extremely young and Szikla knew that Astra would not be happy spending the next millennium as merely a mercenary. Instead, Szikla encouraged Astra to seek out her own path, tying the conversation into the turian’s faith. It set Astra to thinking of the happier times of her childhood. Astra’s grandmother had died when she was only 66, but had told her stories of how one of her great ancestor mothers was one of the huntresses on the Maiden Voyage. The young Astra would visit the museum dedicated to the ship not far from their home more times than she could count growing up and dreamt of what it must have been like to fight for her people, discover the Citadel, and found the first colonies. Her grandmother was one of Dassus’ oldest matriarchs and had been a historian in her former working life. She was full of tales of Dassus and the role it played in making the asari the galaxy’s foremost explorers, even before they’d mastered FTL travel. Those tales had captivated the young, gangly Astra, and now as an adult, she would use to make her dreams reality. After her father’s death, Astra used her childhood passions to fuel her new career trajectory. She devoted the next nearly five centuries of her life to becoming a commando and learning the asari art of war. Astra found military life suited her. She enjoyed physical activities far more than she ever had studying. In the asari military, she found the structure and acceptance that she’d wanted from her mother coupled with the training and purpose instilled in her by her father. She was even taught how to properly use the blade she’d acquired all those years before, after she was reprimanded for taking it without permission. Her stature made her a natural fit for a close quarters combat specialist, and she also learned the intricacies of demolitions and heavy ordinance. As a commando, she excelled in small group tactics and formed tight bonds to her sisters in arms...eventually even falling in love with one. The relationship spurred the pair to leave their military service in order to start a family. It was a happy if relatively short time of familial bliss. Astra fathered a child with her bondmate, Dya B’Sarn. The family moved to Illium to work and be part of the greater galaxy at large, but as often happens in relationships, over time the coals of their passion for one another cooled. Shortly after their daughter moved away to start university, Astra and Dya divorced. Once again, Astra found herself at a crossroads, and, lacking a desire to return to formal military life, she instead went back to mercenary work. It paid better and held more freedom of choice. For several decades, Astra was more of a solo freelancer, but finding herself lonely, she eventually was led back into smaller merc bands. In the last several years she’s even come to find humans joining some of her contracts. While there were other new species to be encountered in her lifetime, few made as deeply their presence felt so quickly. It would be interesting to see how much their species might shift the balances of power...if at all. Personality Her silence does provide her a better chance than many of those more talkative to be a good listener. She appears to spend considerable amount of time alone. This is likely due to spending a number of years on her own after leaving her homeworld. She is, however, very loyal to those who would earn her trust. Though she comes across as a very severe person, those who take the time to get to know her will find her to have a fairly good sense of humor. Astra does seem to possess her father’s code of honor, and is unlikely to be intentionally harmful to innocents. This does not mean that what she may view as honorable would be considered the same to others. Coddling those weaker than herself, for instance, would be viewed as dishonorable, as they would only be weakened further. It is more likely that Astrawould attempt to teach a man to fish, for example, than to give a fish to one. While an asari, her outlook and belief structure is much more influenced by her turian father. She is rather spiritual in this way, and holds faith in ancestor Spirits who guide her on her path in life, and whom she hopes to prove worthy of joining in death. The tattoo on her arm and her father’s pendant that she wears bear the same symbol of this faith. It is a symbol of what her father called “The Pathway” and symbolizes the belief that: “While there are many roads in life, there is only one path.” The belief structure holds that if one is attuned to the Spirits, the Spirits will guide them throughout the crossroads of their life in the true direction they should journey so that they will prove themselves honorable enough to join them in death. Above all, Astra is tenacious and proud, which often leads her to cross the line into overconfidence. Given her extensive training and centuries of combat, it is not an uncommon circumstance. Confidence and determination are hallmarks of excellence, but only when tempered with wisdom, and wisdom is gained most often through age and experience--both of which Astra has in spades. Physical Appearance Adaryn “Astra” T’Karra is thickly-muscled from centuries of being a commando turned mercenary, yet surprisingly agile and quick for someone so large. She is much taller than the average asari, standing over 6’ tall. She is known for her striking red facial markings in addition to the prominent scarring on her right cheek, and is missing part of her lower right crest. It should be noted that the facial scar pulls slightly at the right corner of her mouth causing many of her facial expressions to take on a “smirking” appearance even if the sentiment behind them is genuine. While found most often in her sleek armor, when out and about in casual attire, her most common street attire is a pair of black leather pants, boots, and a tank layered under an asymmetrically-cut leather jacket with red trim. She is also more likely to be found in a pantsuit than a dress because she likes to be able to move easily, though she does know how to gussy-up when the need arises. Her general preference in clothing is function and/or comfort over flash. Her only jewelry is a silver chain bearing a turian religious pendant that belonged to her father and a simple silver spinner ring given by her ex-bondmate that she often fidgets with to help focus. The pendant somewhat resembles a stylized mass effect gate and matches a small tattoo of the same design she bears on her left forearm near her inner elbow. It is a circle with two long lines running through it. Along the outside of the circle were other lines, though much shorter, almost like tick marks. She has a suit of specially designed blue and black merc armor. The armor appears new despite the fact that she’s had it for quite a while. Astra painstakingly maintains her armor, knowing the shine of it helps make her seem less experienced in battle, a misconception that has helped her on several occasions. While in armor, Astra will be found with her Executioner heavy pistol at her hip and her Mattock and asari sword on her back. She usually has some form of grenade or two hanging from her belt alongside an extra ammo clip or two. In general, her muted demeanor and blue-black armor give her a cold, icy aura--a quiet menace that her stature and bulk help radiate. Additionally, despite seeming to be in excellent physical condition, there does appear to be some internal scarring and tissue damage likely due to past injuries that were not treated correctly--specifically in the lower vertebrae and the right shoulder. Both old injuries could become problematic and compounded in the future should any of these areas become re-injured. The other, more obvious scars and the missing piece of her lower right crest appear to be mostly cosmetic and do not truly inhibit functionality. She does tend to favor the right shoulder and can be seen giving it frequent rolls. Whether it is an exercise to stretch sore muscles, a tactic used to ease tension and stress, or just a nervous habit at this point is unclear, though it is possible that all three are true. Armament Adaryn utilizes an M-96 Mattock assault rifle with an armor-piercing module, an Executioner pistol, an asari sword and a set of Frag Grenades while in combat. Her armor comes equipped with both Adrenaline Rush and Tech Armor modules, and her weapons house built-in Carnage launchers. Category:Characters Category:Asari Category:Mercenaries Category:Asari Commandos